One of the advantages to working in this industry is that one gets to know many different vendors on a personal level.  Jill may argue that this also has it’s disadvantages.  You see, Jill works for one of the most notable event planners in the midwest, Jodi Bos of In Any Event.  So when Jill began publicly planning her wedding on In Any Event’s Blog, I know she struggled with vendor selection because the truth is, the talent pool in Grand Rapids is rather deep and the friendships run deeper.  Saying yes to one person means she had to say no to someone else.  I can’t imagine how hard that would have been.  In the end, she chose the vendors that were right for her and her personal style.  Jill and Chris’ team and details consisted of In Any Event for design and implementation, Modern Day Floral, Coastline Studios, MI Photobooth, Milkpod Studio (fabric bouquets), Handbags By Jen, Gwyneth Paige (for letterpress), Julie Strating & Erin Brown on makeup and hair, a stunning Rivini gown and Vera Wang bridesmaids dresses, Calvin Klein on the boys, Peter Spickenagel (classical guitar during cocktail hour 616-334-5712), MiraBella Confections, Grand Rapids Trolley Co, Cascade Hills Country Club, and Westminster Presbyterian Church.  Also special thanks goes to the extremely talented, Ryan Prins, who was my second photographer on this wedding.

I’m truly honored and humbled to be a part of such an all star line up.  The truth is, as artists, we’re all insecure when we’re brutally honest and it doesn’t help that the market is changing and becoming crazy saturated at a ridiculous pace.  I’ve stayed off the trend bandwagon of textures and washed-out, overexposed images believing instead that reality is pretty darn beautiful and doesn’t need to be twisted to create visual or emotional interest.  Nothing against those who shoot and edit that way, it’s just not my thing.  With every couple that hires me, I am so thankful that being true to myself and my philosophy of photography still has a respected place within this industry.  I’m reminded that trends are just that.  Today marks my 11 year anniversary of the first wedding I was asked to photograph (and our dear friends John and Amy’s 11th wedding anniversary)!  I’ve watched a lot of styles come and go, selective desaturation (black and white with flowers in color) and alien eyes (pure white headlights with crayola color) to name a few… I guess I say all this as many of us are in the height of our wedding season to remind my friends to be true to who you are and how you see the world.  People respect authenticity and honesty.

Back to Chris and Jill… I love them.  Lots.

Who needs a flower girl basket when you can have a purse??

Continued…

Flower girl #3 called it quits:

Max’s View:

Max:

Pretty classic if you ask me!  One is picking her nose, the other needs to GO!

The Band (Max’s photo):

The Bridal Party (also Max’s photo):

Right before Christmas, I was able to help out another photographer and friend who found himself a little over his head.  Actually, he’s a highly capable and published photographer but his success has been in the commercial world which is slightly different than the event world.  In the commercial world, the photographer is able to maintain full control and typically has days to test and nail one photograph.  Then in post production, you only need to perfect one photo.  And you can composite until you’re heart’s content.  The most notable commercial shooters simply walk on a set that was built, lit, and tested by a full crew, leaving the photographer to push the button a few times, and finally, turn the images over to a team of photoshop gurus who composite a dozen or more photos together.  Don’t get me wrong, it takes insane talent to get to that level and the final result from the team of specialists is brilliant.  Then you have the commercial photographers who do the whole process themselves.  Pretty sure they’re just crazy.

By comparison, in the event world, we fly by the seat of our pants, have little control over lighting or environment, and have 8-10 hours to capture a complete family and social history of two different people with no potty breaks.  We eat in less than 10 minutes and have stomach cramping afterwards because we didn’t take time to chew.  The camera is an extension of our arm and soul; dialing in manual settings takes as long as tying a shoe and comes just as naturally.  We often do both simultaneously.  Light or the absence of it, doesn’t scare us.  Although we’d still like to slap the person who nixed the bridal room at the church in favor of an extra large nursery with a Noah’s Ark border and florescent lights.  In the basement.  The day after leaves us flat on our backs, unable to move a single muscle.  I’ve never been hung over but I’m pretty sure that would be how it would feel.  After you turn thirty, a wedding makes you feel like you’re pushing ninety-seven years old.  Then we edit 2,000+ images and make them ALL stellar and create albums that make parents weep.  Yes, I really do love every second!

So Dave asked Max to photograph his wedding and being one of his best friends, Max couldn’t refuse.  I’m sure he would have done fine on his own but at the last minute he decided he needed help.  So with a few days notice, I flew to LA to be his second photographer.  I’ve actually known Dave for about 14 years but it was my first time meeting Grace.  She’s one of those people you feel like you’ve known your whole life.  I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for Dave.  She is the definition of Grace.  I was absolutely in awe of the hospitality shown by their friends and family.  I’ll probably still pass on the raw ground beef but I love everything else about the Armenian culture!

The ceremony was held in the same cathedral they filmed the Spiderman 2 wedding (just the interior footage) and reception was held in Glendale at Anoush.  Dave and Max also happen to be in a band that you might have heard in hundreds of TV shows, movies, and radios stations… and if not, you should check them out.

Grace’s brother makes me laugh!  Investigating the bouquet…

Dave’s first look at Grace.  AND he brought flowers.  What a gentleman.

Max’s photo:

Max’s Photo:

My poor neglected blog!  We’ve been slightly busy loving life and enjoying the downtime before wedding season starts back up!  We also have a some big news on the horizon, all in due time.  But for now, enjoy a peak at Sara and Andrew’s intimate wedding at St. Andrew’s in Grand Rapids and reception at the Amway Grand Hotel and planned by another talented friend, Cheri Hall! A special thanks goes to Ryan Prins who I leaned upon heavily at this wedding — we can’t feel wonderful 100% of the time and this was, unfortunately, one of those days for me.  Having a QUALIFIED second photographer who knows me, my approach, and who is attentive to my sign language is priceless.  I photographed most of the photos shown below, but Ryan did a great job of rounding out the bunch.  *Special note: I will not be taking Vicodin for an ear infection EVER again.  My tummy simply cannot handle it.*

One more note: Sara and Andrew are amazing and have stellar friends who are in the medical field (and carry Rx pads on them)!